Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Senator Mullins when he speaks about bank charges, but I am not sure that this House should get involved in banking issues in any form. Credit unions can tackle the issue very well. Competition will be able to solve the problem and it sounds like this is happening.

I would like to see time provided to debate the environment. I was reminded of this when the recent EU report indicated we have done quite well, comparatively, in regard to the cleanliness of our beaches. Only five of them did not reach the necessary level, and that is one of the top rankings in Europe. The reason beaches have done well is, in general terms, not as a result of Government or the local council. In most cases, it is the individuals living near the beaches who have done something. Across the country we see people who say that they want their own tidy town. They say they want to do it themselves. They are not going to ask the Government or the local council to do it for them. They decide that if they are going to achieve it, they are going to achieve it themselves.

In regard to the environment, if we are going to do things ourselves, there are definite things we can do. There has been a spate of poisoning of some very valuable birds which we have had introduced. That is horrific. I do not know why this has happened but education may be a factor. A debate should take place and this would be a good week for it as it is the week during which the Brent geese go home again. They go home on 23 April every year and they arrive on 23 October. It is amazing to think of the journey, all the way from Canada, and to think that they arrive on the one same day and go back on the one same day every year. The swallows only arrived last week. We have quite a lot to talk about. The benefit of having a clean environment is something we can secure ourselves rather than having the Government do it for us.